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Maple Syrup 2019

Started by Chuck White, February 05, 2019, 04:56:23 PM

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Corley5

Got a bunch of stuff we'd like to get done this off season.  Priority is getting the remaining 1,200-1,500 taps plumbed in.  We'd like to get foam insulation and steel on the interior walls, a bathroom and drain field, redesign on our head tank location, insulated closet for the vacuum pump and another for the R.O., there's more I'm sure.  I don't think it ever ends with an operation of this nature.  A wood shed is on the short list too.  I've got most of the material to build it.  I just came in a bit ago from excavating @ the sugar house.  It's the old milk house that was attached to the bank hay barn which was torn down.  I'm leveling the bank/driveway and removing the walls/foundations.  I'm going to have to rent a jack hammer to finish busting them up into small enough pieces to move them with the Bobcat.  Working on this project until frost laws go off Monday and we get on with spring firewood orders.
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

maple flats

I finally got my totals. I made 356 gal of syrup off 741 taps for a per tap average of .48 gal/tap. I was hoping to beat last year when I did .52/tap but still my .48/tap is my second best ever. The amazing part of it is that 427 of my taps were only on 18" of mechanical vacuum, however some 150 or so of those taps were on 3/16" gravity vacuum tubing, and those got the mechanical vacuum of 18" and additional vacuum from gravity. All of those laterals had at least 20' of elevation drop and some had 30' drop before they got to the mechanical vacuum tubing.
356 is my second best year ever for a total, and most of what I made was amber, some golden and some dark, no very dark. My sales lean heavily towards dark, but I can easily blend a little very dark from 2 yrs ago to make the lighter syrup into the dark I need. Doing it that way, the taste ends up perfect for a dark syrup
logging small time for years but just learning how,  2012 36 HP Mahindra tractor, 3point log arch, 8000# class excavator, lifts 2500# and sets logs on mill precisely where needed, Woodland Mills HM130Max , maple syrup a hobby that consumes my time. looking to learn blacksmithing.

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